The Barbados Coast Guard is getting three new fast patrol craft built by Damen Shipyards of Gorinchem, the Netherlands -- the second of which I almost literally bumped into when on a Sunday afternoon walk at Hoek of Holland, Rotterdam.
The craft, HMBS Rudyard Lewis (P 03) was moored at the local pilot boats' station for the weekend while on contractor's sea trials.
The future HMBS Rudyard Lewis (P 03) seen at the pilot boats' station at Hoek of Holland yesterday afternoon. Photo: Joris Janssen Lok
Rudyard Lewis follows two months behind another patrol craft of this class, HMBS Leonard C Banfield (P 02) that arrived in Barbados in August after completing its transatlantic delivery voyage.
Both are members of Damen's ubiquitous Stan Patrol 4207 class of which 19 have already been delivered to the Netherlands Antilles & Aruba Coast Guard; the U.K. Revenue and Customs Service; the Netherlands Coast Guard; the Vietnamese Vinamarine search and rescue service; the South African Dept. of Environmental Affairs; the Jamaica Defence Forces and the Barbados Coast Guard.
The Rudyard Lewis is a Stan Patrol 4207 ship, a Damen design that has been sold widely in Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and South Africa. Photo: Joris Janssen Lok At least one more Stan Patrol 4207 hull (for an undisclosed customer) is under construction at Talsma Shipyard of Franeker, the Netherlands, under subcontract to Damen, for delivery to Damen (for outfitting) in March 2008.
The Leonard C Banfield and Rudyard Lewis are believed to be followed by a third patrol craft, HMBS Trident, to be delivered in 2008. The three new ships replace the original HMBS Trident, a 27-year-old patrol craft, and expand the island nation's patrol capability.
Close-up of the mast reveals the main JRC surface search radar sold through the Japanese company's European representative Alphatron. Photo: Joris Janssen Lok
The 42-meter (137-ft.) ocean-capable Stan Patrol 4207 craft have high-speed (26 kts. continuous maximum transit speed) steel hulls and aluminum superstructures. They can stay out at sea for up to four days.
According to Damen Shipyards, the Stan Patrol 4207 class is capable of holding station and enduring in sea state 8 in all weather conditions.
In the configuration for Barbados, the main armament is non-lethal in the form of a fire-fighting monitor, but machine guns will be carried as well.
Local press reports in Barbados quote a cost of $6 million per ship for the new craft.
In addition to the three Stan Patrol 4207 craft, Damen is also supplying smaller patrol boats to Barbados (including three 35-kt. RIB 1000 craft delivered in June and two 24-kt. Stan Patrol 1204 craft for delivery in December), the overall package costing around $37 million, the same press reports say.